Startupbootcamp to host Cape Town water hackathon

Startupbootcamp Cape Town and RCS Group have partnered to host a water-saving hackathon to commission technology from the wider Cape community in a bid to push back “Day Zero”.

The Western Cape is in the midst of a water crisis, with “Day Zero”, the day when water runs out, fast approaching. The current dam levels for Cape Town are 26.5 per cent. If dam levels continue to drop, it could be a reality by April 12.

The H2O (Hack Two Day Zero) event – which will take place on February 9-10 – will host executives from Old Mutual, Nedbank, RCS, Woolworths Financial Services and PwC to engage with entrepreneurs, students, concerned citizens and local government.

“We are in the midst of a water crisis in the Western Cape and with the implications of Day Zero fast approaching there will be widespread impacts. The onus is not only on the individual to conserve water, but as corporates we have a responsibility to collectively apply our minds to this challenge facing the society which we operate in,” said Regan Adams, chief executive officer (CEO) of the RCS Group.

“Hosting a hackathon purely focusing on the water crisis was the perfect opportunity for RCS to show both support and desire to address this issue. At RCS we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation and we believe in the agility of tech startups to make a difference. It is therefore our ambition that the event may lead to finding valuable and feasible solutions for both companies and individuals.”

Hackathon participants will have two days to pitch their ideas, form teams and create prototypes under the guidance of corporate sponsors.

“By creating an environment to collectively pool ideas together, we believe this hackathon can ensure that both short term and long-term solutions can be designed to deal with the crisis. We encourage everyone who has a desire to make an impact to join. By bringing ideas and skills together, we can make a difference,” said Paul Nel, chief partnership officer of Startupbootcamp Cape Town.

Anyone with a tech-based idea or solution to solve the problems the water crisis is causing is invited to apply, with the winning team taking home a cash prize and the added incentive of building the solutions designed if Startupbootcamp and RCS believe they will make an impact.

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Passionate about the vibrant tech startups scene in Africa, Tom can usually be found sniffing out the continent's most exciting new companies and entrepreneurs, funding rounds and any other developments within the growing ecosystem.